Coming up this Wednesday 6th June, the planet Venus will cross in front of the sun. This phenomenon is known as the Transit of Venus and we are fortunate enough to be able to view it in Australia. This is a rare opportunity as the Transit only occurs twice in more than 100 years. It last occurred in June 2004 and after this week it will not be seen until December 2117!
Posted in History Teaching
Tagged colonial Australia, history of science, teaching history
This week is Education Week in Victoria. In the spirit of thinking about learning and learners we have written this post about some of the most common questions and misconceptions students bring to Sovereign Hill. Each day we work on developing students’ understandings about these concepts. Some are small, while others are very complex. It gives you an insight into common student thinking…
Posted in History Teaching, Sovereign Hill
Image by Sunday’s Child
Stuck for a great local history excursion? Historic cemeteries offer inquirers a number of insights into life in the past.
The key to a good cemetery excursion is providing the students with an investigative purpose or question. Visiting a cemetery without a purpose would be akin to browsing a database for leisure reading. However, with the right questions, a cemetery visit can provide students with opportunities to form their own understanding of key ideas such as demographics, social tensions, wealth and health.
The Night We Made the Flag by author Carole Wilkinson is a historically based story about the night the Eureka flag was made on the Ballarat goldfields. It is beautifully illustrated by Sebastian Ciaffaglone. The book has lovely end covers depicting the Southern Cross in the night sky, like the constellation that inspired the design of the flag.
The Australian Geographic is a great resource for explaining Australian landscapes, plants, animals, industry and people to students and teachers wishing to develop their content knowledge. This magazine-style journal contains a poster in each edition as well as high quality photographs, excellent maps from award-winning mapmakers and detailed technical illustrations. All of which are useful visual resources for in any school classroom, especially when it comes to explaining the science behind particular concepts.
Steve Parish’s A Wild Australia Guide series of books cover a range of Australian wildlife from birds and butterflies to mammals and moths. Written by a variety of expert authors it contains a range of information including identification, habitat, behaviour and diet. There are 20 guides with a recommended retail price of $14.95, however most school libraries stock at least some of the titles. The photography titles are also available as PDF ebooks.
To the Goldfields! is sadly now out of print. But as many libraries still have it on their shelves (and we hope they keep it!) we thought it was worth mentioning. This picture book tells the story of James, a nine year old boy who travels to the Victorian goldfields with his family.
Posted in Books for Teaching History, Victorian Gold Rush
Tagged 1850s lifestyles, books, gold rush, teaching resources
Scatterheart sits itself between the First Fleet and the Gold Rushes, but it’s delightful fictional story encompasses the themes of fear and hope in the journey to an unknown land that are common to both periods of history. Lili Wilkinson tells the story of Hannah Cheshire, a well-born London girl who we meet in the midst of her confusion and despair over her sudden change in circumstances. It interweaves her present predicament with reflections of her life past.
Posted in Books for Teaching History, History Teaching
Tagged books, immigration, teaching resources
